Sourdough is also called “acid dough” and has unique flavor and taste. Fermentation using sourdough generally includes repeating a series of mixing flour, water and rye to activate microorganisms present therein, thereby preparing a sourdough starter, and using some sourdough starter for dough and storing the remaining for the subsequent use. Fermentation using sourdough includes a fermentation process in which yeast and lactic acid bacteria are mutually involved, and have several advantages associated with baking properties such as increased bread volume, improved flavor and taste, and extended expiration date.
Meanwhile, microorganisms greatly affect fermentation of sourdough. In particular, it is known that main fermentation microorganisms, i.e., lactic acid bacteria and yeast, act on fermentation alone or in combination thereof to make sourdough. The main cause of sour taste is lactic acid produced from lactic acid bacteria, which is a base of sourdough, and alcohol fermentation metabolites generated by yeast impart taste to bread and improve palatability. The genera Streptococcus, Pediococcus, Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, Leuconostoc, Weissella and the like are known lactic acid bacteria related to fermentation of sourdough.
Meanwhile, traditional sourdough bread produced by natural fermentation is mixed with a variety of yeasts and bacteria. For this reason, problems such as deterioration in flavor and taste and creation of rancid odor often result from contamination by other microorganisms under inappropriate work environments. In addition, there is difficulty in reproducing uniform quality of products due to spatial and timing differences.
In an attempt to solve these problems, in order to avoid the risk of contaminating naturally fermented bread and secure uniform quality of products, fermentation including adding microorganism starters with secured functionality and stability to dough was developed.
Some Korean baking companies use imported starters to pursue differentiation and high-quality of products. However, imported starters change strain distribution during subculture, are easy to handle in industrial bakeries and have many practical problems such as difficulty in controlling sour taste levels because they contain, as dominant species, L. sanfranciscensis strains producing a great amount of organic acid. In addition, imported starters may have quality properties unsuitable for domestic baking circumstances because they are selected in consideration of climate and baking properties of countries of origin. Accordingly, there is a need for development of starters which are suitable for Korean tastes and can be stably used in baking fields.